High school student caught with cannabis resin

Thursday 08th October, 08:50 AM JST

KYOTO —

A 17-year-old private high school student was arrested in Kyoto Tuesday after he was found in possession of cannabis resin.

According to police, an officer on patrol had discovered a suspicious vehicle that had the curtains pulled to hide the inside of the car. When the officer attempted to question the occupants, the boy, who was in the passenger seat, ran into a nearby convenience store. It was there he was found to be in possession of a plastic bag containing a small amount of resin and marijuana paraphernalia. Police are currently working to determine how the boy came into possession of the substance.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 58 Total Comments Show All

cow76 at 11:31 PM JST - 9th October

But how do you judge how serious a crime it is? Not stopping at zebra crossings while driving is a crime but I don't hear anyone saying "Lock them up and throw away the key". Anyone advocating jail time for this victimless crime is a being hypocritical. It's got nothing to do with breaking the law, it's just because you hate drugs.
PepinGalarga at 07:49 AM JST - 10th October

Maybe he was trying to make himself a hemp rope. He kinds deserves what he got for being so stupid.
kinniku at 09:07 AM JST - 10th October

dolphingirl,

Just for your information...

Ummm...thanks, Doc...however you are incorrect. It contains many of the same substances as tobacco that can cause emphysema and cancer. Just because you like to use it, does not mean it is safe to use. Were the scientific studies you mention done by people who were using it at the time by any chance? Putting smoke into your lungs is not healthy.
kinniku at 09:09 AM JST - 10th October

Damien15,

Governments take actions to protect their citizens every day. What people put in, near or on their bodies, what they sit on, what they eat, etc. Yes, I would expect a government to do that, especially for minors.
grafton at 09:38 AM JST - 10th October

The story is nothing, a waste of space. But the post here are positively frightening. I could never understand how the Germans found guards for the death camps, now I am beginning to realise I live in a world where just below the surface of the people around me there lurks some really, really frightening creatures. Get a life people the boy had cannabis.
kinniku at 10:09 AM JST - 10th October

grafton,

He had cannabis in a country in which it is illegal to do so. Expecting people to follow the law can hardly be compared to goose-stepping along with Nazis.
dolphingirl at 02:21 PM JST - 10th October

kinniku: I believe that the information you have is a bit outdated. The statement 'It contains many of the same substances as tabacco that can cause emphazema and caner' came from a report in 1984. However, recent research has found no link between marjijuana and lung caner. And I quote from the Washington Post, 2006 --'The largest study of it's kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does NOT lead to lung cancer.' And the theory is --'The THC may kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous.'
dolphingirl at 02:42 PM JST - 10th October

laconic: You are right about this. Studies have shown that teenagers who are heavy consumers of marijuana are more likely to develop schizophrenia later in life. I'm not saying that marijuana is completely harmless. It isn't. What I am saying, is that it is safer than a lot of other drugs, including alcohol. Thousands of people die as a direct result of alcohol consumption. The number of people who die from using marijuana is zero.
boboh at 03:28 PM JST - 10th October

Wow, J-Cops netting the big fish again!!!! Your taxpayers yen at work.
kinniku at 04:13 PM JST - 10th October

dolphingirl,

I am aware of the study you mentioned. I am also aware that Tashkin was one of the professionals that originally said what I wrote. Studies come and go. However, I think I will wait and see what the next set of tests in the future reveal about the health benefits of inhaling smoke into the lungs. In fact, I distinctly remember tobacco companies telling us inhaling their smoke was healthy too. Cool and refreshing, I think it was called. I also remember coffee being sooo dangerous, then a short time later not so much. So, when thinking about how natural putting smoke into your lungs is, I vote for unnatural and quite possibly not so safe. However, I respect you right to your opinion.

The number of people who die from using marijuana is zero.

I know you didn't write this to me. However, how can you specifically say such a thing, especially after admitting studies have shown that teenagers who are heavy consumers of marijuana are more likely to develop schizophrenia later in life? You do not think this condition can be life threatening? Are there no people who have died because of being under the influence?

I understand what you are saying about alcohol. You make an interesting argument. However, the bottom line here is that, at present, it is against the law. Instead of people trying to take the law into their own hands, I think it would be more effective to encourage change legally.
dolphingirl at 04:58 PM JST - 10th October

kinniku: What you say about research is true. One study says this, another says that. I suppose you could prove many theories by creating experiments to fit what you WANT to prove. And you are also right in saying that probably anything you smoke is going to be bad for your lungs.

All drugs, legal and illegal, have both positive benefits and negative effects. I think, if drugs like marijuana were legal and government regulated it would be more difficult for teenagers to get and people would be more aware of the good and bad effects through education. In that way, adults could make their own informed decision on whether or not to use it.

Yes, it is currently illegal to possess/use cannibis in Japan and we must respect that law. However, I do believe that it would be better if cannibis were legal, or at least decriminalized.
kinniku at 05:33 PM JST - 10th October

dolphingirl,

Thanks for your opinion. I agree with much of it. One would hope that if it was legal and government regulated that it would be more difficult for teenagers to get. However, looking at teenagers and their usage of tobacco and alcohol, I am not sure if that would be the case. Anyway, I appreciate what you have to say.
saborichan at 06:28 PM JST - 13th October

It's amusing to see the pot-smokers lining up to defend cannabis. To say that smoking marijuana has not caused any deaths is tautological by your own given proofs. You've noted it's a drug like alcohol, which affects judgement. Alcohol gets people killed. There's absolutely no way you can say with any authority that pot doesn't make people do stupid things that get them killed, too.

Is cannabis resin even usable for much ?
ultradodgy at 10:55 PM JST - 13th October

Smokin resin? What's next, some teen getting arrested for drinking bong water?
Makkun70 at 01:17 PM JST - 14th October

I hope no yakusa get hurt in this whole episode, let's hope the force of corruption and codependence holds fast between the police and our friends in the yakusa.